When the clock strikes twelve
by Isis-light
Summary: When a writer, desperate to find new ideas and a girl desperate to get a job meet, two seperate worlds collide. Madness ensues and a new journey for both radical character begins. Ichigo x Rukia. AU modern times.
1. Chapter 1

**Well most of everything was explained in the summary, hope you like and do review! Happy reading!**

Meet Rukia Kuchiki, an average high school graduate who apparently has an annoying habit of-

**Crash!**

"Sorry! I'll fix that!" Rukia wiped her hands on her apron before approaching her table and setting the hot chocolate and coffee before her clients, "Here's your order,"

"Thanks," the young child grinned up at her, his mother on the other hands scowled at the waitress before waving her off. Rukia bowed her head lowly, excusing herself and walking back to clean up her mess in the kitchen.

Her jet black hair was tied in a neat bun to protect any hair falling into anybody's order, Rukia swept the shards of glass into a dustpan, picking it up and throwing it in the bin. An exasperated sigh escaped her lips, she brushed a bead of sweat away from her face.

"You okay?" Rangiku, another waitress smirking. Rukia nodded with a small smile, for most of her life she'd been by herself, with exception to the time she'd spent in the orphanage she had been in. They hadn't told her much just that an unknown female came to drop her off when she was still a baby, leaving her on their doorstep.

She received a bursary back in school to further her education, her smarts were all she relied upon but unfortunately her bursary didn't cover her future tuition and hence she's a waitress, just trying to live each day with the little she earns.

"Hey Rukia? Boss wants to see you," Hinamori called, opening the door widely. Rukia's violet orbs narrowed in confusion. "Sorry, I don't know what it's about either, he just wants to see you,"

"S-Sure,"

.

.

Meet Ichigo Kurosaki, an above average author currently struggling with-

**Scrunch!**

"That won't work either! Too cliché!" Ichigo crushed his storyboard and ran a hand through his hair, he brought his pen to his lips, chewing on it hard. He had no idea why he was struggling with ideas all of a sudden, each time a new one would pop into his head, he'd realise it was an overly dramatic storyline or too clichéd.

**Ring!**

Ichigo glanced at his phone, or rather landline since he found he had no use for a personal phone. He contemplated answering it, reaching his hand for it only to drop the phone back down, ending the call instantly.

"That's better," he sighed, moving back down onto his seat. He spun around a few times, contemplating ideas over and over again. He bit down onto his lip roughly, staring at the view of Karakura outside his window. His orange hair seemed to blend with the shade casted by the setting sun

Ichigo stood from his seat and drew the blinds closed, "That's even better,"

Running a hand through his hair, he chucked the pen onto his messy table and walked towards his kitchen. Making himself a cup of coffee, he enjoyed his apartment, it was spacious and practically designed as though he was in a five star hotel. Ichigo had more than enough money to buy himself a house or three but instead chose to remain in this flat he's had for the past three years after his debut.

Back in school, Ichigo was always one of the popular kids though he chose to remain by himself, he never knew why people flocked to him. He always scored excellently in written essays, his first essay as a senior was so good that they published it in a small book amongst other author's works. It was then that Ichigo decided to continue writing as a way to express himself, since he wasn't one to stand in front of a crowd.

Hence, he always flunked oral presentations. Ichigo swore to himself never to speak about the time he simply walked off stage during his first speech, he broke into sweat and kept having to clear his throat, no matter how much water he drank.

Ultimately resorting to simply chucking his cue cards and walking off stage, failing his oral.

"It wasn't my fault," Ichigo convinced himself as he'd been doing for the past years, taking another sip of his coffee. His sleeveless white shirt revealed his muscled arms and lean torso, with a sigh he placed his cup of coffee back onto the counter and shoved his hands into his pockets. He shifted the colourful fridge magnets and leaned back: **Unimaginative.**

"That's exactly how I feel," he muttered to himself before carelessly shoving the letters in a haphazard manner. Picking his cup of coffee he walked towards his table, without taking notice of the cord on the ground Ichigo tripped over it, sending his coffee mug through the air and ultimately landing on his sheets of storyboards and character sketches.

"No, no, no!" Ichigo quickly got to his feet, trying to rescue as much as he could. Thank goodness he had no electronic device on the ta-

"Shit!" Ichigo grabbed his already submerged memory stick. It contained the abstract synopsis he had saved until the inspiration came. He ran to the kitchen and grabbed a cloth, running back to the table and roughly wiping away at the sheets, it was only later that he realised he was tearing away at the papers.

"Aargh!" Ichigo lifted a drenched, torn and now ink blurred sheet of paper.

"I see, you're having a bad day,"

Ichigo turned around to see the figure of his boss, Yoruichi aka Ms. Publisher. She stood leaned behind his door with an amused smirk plastered on her face.

"When'd you- no, how'd you- never mind," Ichigo groaned turning an upset glance at his messed up papers, he grabbed the mug that was the cause for this and tossed it towards the brick wall, shattering it. "I hated that mug anyway,"

Yoruichi fought the urge to laugh by running a hand through her freshly dyed purple hair, she rolled her eyes at her best selling writer. "I just came to check on you, see if you've been making any progress lately,"

"Does it look like it?"

"Give it time kid, you always pull through," She said with a small smile, glancing over his shoulder at his desk, "Maybe you need an assistant, get one,"

"I'm fine,"

"If you insist, see ya," she cooed, leaving Ichigo to his devices. Before she even reached the lowest floor she heard a loud 'Shit!' sound from above her and smirked, knowing something had obviously gone wrong.

"That kid really should get an assistant,"

**.**

**.**

"I've just been fired, great," Rukia moaned to herself, folding away her apron and packing it. She released her bun and collapsed onto her bed, her heart beating erratically debating about how she was going to survive the rest of the months jobless.

"Perfect Rukia, just perfect," she moaned to herself angrily, slapping her forehead, "Now what am I going to do?"

Rukia sat upright, lifting herself from the bed and walked towards the door...

Ichigo grabbed the wet cloth and moved towards the kitchen...

**.**

"Aargh!" Both screamed having stubbed their toes against the door...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

With a tired yawn, Ichigo stretched himself having received a total of three hours sleep. It'd be a miracle if he was able to fall asleep again and thus he was grateful for the few he got already. With a quick glance at his clock, he lazily strolled out of his room.

Opening the blinds, a penetratingly painful light reached his eyes and almost immediately Ichigo closed the blinds, rubbing at his eyes angrily.

"Why do I even bother?" Ichigo sighed and moved away towards his shower to prepare for another day of... nothing.

.

Rukia was already dressed in her casual outfit, her bag and muffin in her hands and CV in her mouth, trying to pull her door shut with her foot. When she eventually managed to get the door closed, the realisation that she had left the key on her table reached her.

"Argh!" she murmured to herself depressively, staring up at the ceiling as though she were questioning why her luck was so bad. With another attempt, she managed to get back in and out of the apartment quickly, she raced down the stairs, greeting Renji, a friend on her way out.

"Okay," Rukia reassured herself with a deep breath as she opened one restaurant door... within seconds she was out again. "I may be desperate... but not that desperate,"

This same process was repeated with the second, third and fourth restaurant she visited to drop of her CV. A depressed sigh escaped her lips, taking a seat on one of the benches within the mall.

Rukia began knocking on her head with her eyes shut, earning strange glances from people walking past her.

Ichigo casted a glance at his side, lingering on the form of the figure that had just taken a seat beside him, he hadn't particularly minded the company of the strange woman beside him... that was until she began making strange whiny noises.

"This isn't even fair, I only broke a few glasses and shouted at a few ungrateful customers," She moaned softly and for a moment Ichigo was torn between whether or not she was crying or laughing. She ran a pale hand through her black her and Ichigo subtly shifted a small distance away from her.

Through his years of experience he had noted that when people began running a hand through their hair, they were getting ready to hit something.

That was stage one.

She clenched her fist...

Stage two.

She bit down on her lip, apparently hard, and her eyes tensed shut.

Stage three.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips and she hung her head down in utter defeat, Ichigo furrowed his brows in confusion. "I'm so useless," she repeated over and over again, once again Ichigo was torn between whether or not she was crying or laughing.

He'd never seen anyone display two emotions at the same time before.

Ichigo forced himself to look away from the emotionally distraught woman, biting down on his lip in attempt to soothe his growing laughter. She took a deep breath in and abruptly lifted herself to her feet, Ichigo quirked a brow turning his head back to the woman, he watched as her bag slowly tilted downwards.

He shrugged and waited for the bag to fall to the ground, when it did, the contents of the bag scattered on the ground and the woman sighed depressively, lowering herself to the ground to pick up all the stuff that had dropped. She reached out, placing everything back in. Feeling a pang of guilt, Ichigo lowered himself to help her out.

Picking up what seemed to be a make-up purse and a rather empty wallet, he waved it in her direction. It was only then that he got a glance at her full appearance, most prominent were her violet eyes that caught his attention; she smiled wearily at him and took her things.

Ichigo helped her gather most of the rest of her stuff and she filed them back in.

"Thanks," she murmured distractedly, her hands moving quickly in her purse that when she turned back around her hand flung and-

**SLAP! **

... Time seemed to pause as Ichigo and the woman both took in the situation, he still had his head turned in the direction she slapped him to.

"S-Sure," he replied with a gulp, his cheek slowly beginning to form a red hand print and perhaps a small scratch from her nails. His tongue brushed over his teeth before he turned around to the beet red woman.

"I. Am. So sorry," she began, trying her best to hide her face behind her bangs. She tried to take a step away from him when.

"Argh!" Ichigo choked out painfully when she'd stepped on his right foot, his breathe caught in his throat and she immediately lifted her foot.

"Sorry!" She chimed quickly, reaching out to the man who quickly stepped away from her, fearing what she'd do worse. Eventually Rukia resorted to casually walking away with one last apology and a low bow, now she had another event listed under her bucket full of 'most embarrassing moments of her life'. She quickened her pace until she felt she was away from his view.

Ichigo shook out his foot in attempt to relieve the pain, taking a seat back down on the bench, he glanced in the direction she walked, catching only a glimpse of her as she turned into another section.

He shook his head and lifted himself up, walking the opposite direction.

.

.

As soon as Rukia had shut her apartment door behind her, she leaned her back on it, banging her head lightly. Her eyes closed in disappointment.

Ichigo fiddled with the pen in his hands; several book and papers surrounding him, in utter frustration he leaned his head back on his seat and shut his eyes with a deep sigh.

"What am I going to do?" they both whispered, revealing their eyes and glancing out their windows at the setting sun...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Yes Yuzu, I'm fine. No Karin, I won't be coming over for you to kick me. Dad, get off the phone." Ichigo answered whilst making a cup of coffee, no matter how much Ichigo hated answering his phone he knew it was either that or having to answer the door to them.

"I can only listen to one person at a time!" Ichigo shouted, walking back to his study and carefully lowering the mug onto it. He kicked his feet up, leaning his head back into the seat. A deep sigh escaped his lips when they all continued speaking at the same time; a smile crept onto his face as he recalled his teenage memories.

The treasured moments of having his father wake him up with a kick to the face, Karin's bored expressions that she constantly held and Yuzu's ever motherly presence for her age.

"When can we come visit you again?" he heard Yuzu ask innocently.

"Never," Ichigo answered, "Last time you all came over, everything was trashed. Rather I'll come to you,"

A long pause sounded on the other end causing a shiver to run down Ichigo's spine... then all at once they shouted back at him in response. His lips curved into a smirk as he listened to their ranting, normally Ichigo wouldn't admit it but... he did miss them. At first the original idea of him moving out was something he hadn't thought of but after a while he found he needed a place of his own, somewhere he could think without certain 'disturbances'.

Though it did get painfully lonely, it was something Ichigo grew accustomed to. He had to...

"Sorry guys, I'm definitely enjoying this little family conversation," Ichigo began sarcastically reaching to press the 'end call' button, "But, I have a job, so I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"Wait-!" Karin shouted, bringing Ichigo to a halt.

"Take care of yourself, Ichigo."

"Is that compassion I hear?" Ichig asked sarcastically.

"Whatever," She whined and ended the call, leaving Ichigo to listen to the bland tone that rung in his ears.

Ichigo smirked, loweringh himself onto his seat, as soon as Ichigo's eyes sat upon the blank sheets of paper in front of him, his entire mood fell. He had to come up with a good storyline, it wasn't as though Yoruichi was putting strain on him about it and yet he felt like he really was under immense pressure.

This type of thing used to come naturally to him, he'd just type away, chapter after chapter and before he knew it, he'd finished a whole book... but now... now he strains even for a title.

"Damnit!" He whispered thrusting his pen away; he banged his fist on the table out of pure frustration.

Writers block.

Words that were foreign to him until a week ago, now he truly understood what it was like, a complete blockage to anything creative. No matter how hard he tried to gain access to any creative ideas, they'd either be incomplete or like previously, too clichéd or overly dramatic.

.

Rukia waited for the electronic door to slide open, she walked into the building briskly, walking towards the apparent secretary. She had a badge with the name 'Nanao' printed on it. The woman hadn't bothered to glance at Rukia, appearing busy so Rukia decided to wait a while...

"Hi! I'm here for the-"

"-I know what you're here for. Second floor, first room. Hope you have your CV."

"Y-Yes," Rukia answered, finding a glimmer of hope within her. She had seen an advertisement in a newspaper for a temporary assistant, having no clue about what this job entailed, Rukia figured she'd take a chance.

How hard could it be, besides-

"I really need this,"

She kept her fingers crossed as she entered the elevator, pressing on the second button-

Times were hard, Rukia knew that better than anyone else and surviving was the only thing on anyone's mind. She had no time to be picky about what job she could or couldn't do, it was nearing the end of the month and there was so much she needed to pay. Rent, personal expenses...

"Why wasn't I born into a rich family?... Why wasn't I born into **any** family?" Rukia muttered to herself, fixing the file that was in her hand.

**Slap!**

Rukia rubbed her now reddened cheek, "Forget about that! Right now, we focus on nailing this!"

I have to...

Once at the second floor and the elevator doors opened, Rukia released a deep breath and stepped out. This floor certainly was stylish yet professional, Rukia was far too preoccupied with the paintings and vases that decorated the professional arena; completely contrasting the dense, smoke smelling, oily restaurant she worked at previously.

Rukia reached a finger to poke at a Cactus, drawing closer and closer...

"Are you coming?" A voice startled Rukia from behind, she immediately turned around guiltily. Casting a low glance at the woman in front of her, she wore a sleeveless orange shirt and dressed in black pants. Her golden orbs appeared to penetrate right through Rukia sending chills down her spine, she brushed a strand of hair behind her head before nodding politely.

"Well then, come along," The woman ushered with a smile, walking back into her office. Rukia took a breath in and exhaled deeply.

"I can do this," She repeated to herself.

Her office was spacious, having a long couch at the corner and a tall shelf filled with tons of books. Her table was filled with files and paperwork, and only had one photo frame, though Rukia couldn't see the picture from where she sat. The woman kicked her feet up on her table, landing them on the pages.

"I-I b-brought my-"

The woman extended a hand towards Rukia, evidently wanting the file in her hands. Rukia gave it to her hesitantly, watching as the woman flapped through.

"You have no experience as a PA, do you?"

"W-Well no, but I'm open to learning!"

The woman remained silent for a long period, she smirked, giving Rukia a chance to rethink, why in her desperation that she had to shout in enthusiasm at the woman. Kneading the back of her neck, Rukia casted her gaze to her feet, suddenly finding her toes highly interesting.

"Pick your head up," the woman commanded, still keeping her gaze on the CV in front of her. Rukia bolted upright, twiddling her thumbs with a nervous smile on her face. "If you want this job, you'll have to grow some backbone,"

"Y-Yes,"

"You're smart, why didn't you go to university?"

"Um w-well..."

"I see, no need to answer," the woman chuckled lightly, closing the file and sliding it over to Rukia as though she weren't interested in it any further. "We're done,"

Rukia's eyes widened, it had been less than ten minutes and that's it! What? Did she do something wrong? All she'd done was sit down half the time.

"B-But-"

The woman lifted her feet, yanking open a drawer and pulling out a notepad and pen. She pushed them towards Rukia. "You aren't necessarily the best of the bunch... but, I'll give you a chance, let's just hope **he** will too,"

Rukia swallowed the lump in her throat, biting back the tears. She wanted to reach over the woman and hug her tightly but fought against it due to her better judgement. It had been a long while since someone ever showed such kindness upon her, so humbling herself and setting her pride aside she accepted.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, do you know him?"

Rukia processed the name a while, "N-No,"

"Well then, you're going to meet him," the woman smiled, extending her hand once more, Rukia reached out to it in a warm shake. "Call me Yoruichi Shihoin,"

"Rukia Kuchiki,"

.

Rukia maintained her silence through the entire drive, staring blankly out of the window. Wondering who it was she was going to work for, the way Ms Yoruichi described him made him seem sort of charming, someone whose company she'd enjoy very much.

"We're here," Yoruichi informed, climbing out of the car, Rukia followed behind her like a lost puppy gazing around the fancy apartment.

They took the elevator upstairs and as soon as they got to their desired level, walked towards a certain door with the numbers '203' printed above the wooden door. Yoruichi reached a hand to the knob, twisting it.

"Shouldn't we knock?"

"Nope," she replied without even taking the time out to think. Shoving the door open, they were met by a long trail of dominos, all standing upright. The blinds in the room were opened, giving spotlight to the study table behind. Rukia tried her hardest not to touch any of the dominos in fear they might come crashing down one after the other.

"Kurosaki!" Yoruichi shouted, effortlessly dodging the domino pieces, they walked all the way to the stairs leading up to the dining room where a man sat on the ground carefully placing another domino piece behind the one in front of it.

Rukia was too preoccupied jumping when her foot tipped one of the dominos, silently she prayed that they wouldn't-

-and one by one they knocked each other to the ground, Rukia watched this, her eyes widening with each domino that fell...

Turning around nervously to Yoruichi, she glanced at the orange haired man who dropped the last domino he had in his hands, apparently in shock.

"For the first time in my life..." Ichigo began, turning his head around towards them, "...I'm-"

He paused taking in the form of the woman besides Yoruichi, his pupils shrinking in size, when he recalled sighting her. Rukia tilted her head to the side with widened eyes.

Both Rukia and Ichigo's lips parted, "You!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Yoruichi switched her gaze from Ichigo to Rukia and back to Ichigo, with a quirked brow she moved her hand to her hip. "You know each other?"

"Uh... well..." Rukia began with a lowered head.

"No," Ichigo scowled and turned back to his fallen dominos. An aggravated groan escaped his lips as he lifted his pieces and began again. "What do you want here anyway? I really should start locking my door,"

"Remember when I told you, you'd need to get an assistant?" Yoruichi began, staring down at her manicured nails.

"Remember when I told, I'm fine?" Ichigo countered, tilting his head to gaze at Yoruichi. For a split second he glanced at the woman who stood a foot behind Yoruichi, she had her head down covering her eyes.

"And I've found someone to be able to help you out, Rukia Kuchiki is her name," Yoruichi responded, ignoring Ichigo's response, the girl lifted her head towards Ichigo. No emotion present on her face, she nodded her head slightly in his direction. "And she's enthusiastic about learning how to write,"

Rukia sharply lifted her gaze towards Yoruichi, she hadn't said anything about learning to write books. Yoruichi winked down at her in response.

"Really?" Ichigo replied turning around, "I'm not good at teaching people stuff,"

"I'll watch!... and learn..." Rukia finally spoke.

Yoruichi glanced down at her planner then at her watch, "Look, I'll leave you two to discuss this, I have to run." She gently brushed Rukia's shoulders, "Good luck,"

With a loud shout towards Ichigo, she left in a rush...

.

.

... Awkward.

Rukia sweat dropped, having stood in the same position for the past five minutes. She gulped still staring at the back of the man named Ichigo. She raised a hand to slap her forehead as she remembered how she practically assaulted him.

"I'm such an idiot!" she vocalised in a whisper. Ichigo casted a glance back at the woman who stood in her spot, she had her hand pressed on her forehead and appeared to be scolding herself.

"I thought you had left already," he said to her, he watched as she slowly lifted her violet orbs towards him. Her small stature made him think of one of the characters he had previously designed but couldn't find any more to do with her so he chucked the idea.

"Look, I'm sorry about slapping you and stepping on your foot." She said to him. "So please don't fire me on my first day,"

Ichigo quirked a brow, exhaling deeply as he rose to his feet. He gently brushed passed her as he made his way to a nearby shelf; she gulped as he hadn't bothered to take even one glance at her.

He grabbed one book and tossed it to her feet; he hovered over several others until he picked out four more. One by one he piled them in her arms.

"I want a summary of one chapter of one book every day," Ichigo told her, Rukia's eyes widened as she glanced down at the encyclopaedia sized books currently in her hands.

"B-But, just reading one page would take me forever!" she retorted as she followed Ichigo in his stroll to his kitchen. He glanced at her with a smirk before moving to his cupboards to make coffee, he prepared two cups.

Walking up to her, Ichigo smirked as she struggled to carry the thick books. "Here," he said, placing the cup on top of the stack currently in her hands. He chuckled as she scowled at him, he sipped his coffee, moving towards his table and sat his mug down.

"And when you're finished summarising the chapters... fix my dominos,"

Rukia stared down at the long trail of probably 200+ dominos that lay flat on the ground; she gulped as she sat her thick books on the nearest table closest to the couch.

"I'll expect three pages, back to back as a summary," he said, sipping at his coffee.

"If I didn't need this job, I would have thrown one of these books in your face," Rukia muttered under her breath through gritted teeth.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," she mumbled as she took a pen and paper, she pulled one of the textbooks to her lap as she turned to page one.

**Scrunch!**

The sound of crushed paper reached her ears and Rukia tilted her head towards Ichigo's direction, noticing he was biting down on the pencil in his hand. He appeared to be mumbling something incoherent as he frowned deeply, his brown eyes maintained absolute focus on the work in front of him.

He groaned in frustration before typing away at his computer.

Realising she was staring far too long, she turned her attention towards the frames on the walls, there was only three pictures that hung. Once was with two girls and one older male, presumably his father, they all smiled whilst Ichigo scowled, his hands shoved deeply into the pockets of his high school pants and glasses set securely over his nose.

Her eyes drifted to the next picture where he was surrounded by four other people; once again he was the only one not smiling.

The last picture that hung was that of a woman with a little boy in her arms, the boy clung onto the woman's clothing with a bright smile on his face. The woman smiled down at the boy lovingly, his brown orbs gleaming with happiness.

She turned her head towards Ichigo, typing away and noticed the deep frown he had currently. Pulling the mug to her lips, she took a small sip so as to not burn her tongue. Brushing a strand of hair behind her head, she picked her pen up, Ichigo groaned leaving his laptop, grabbing his pen and tapping it against the pages.

They both sighed deeply as they continued tapping their pens against the sheets in front of them.

Ichigo lifted his gaze towards the woman, clearly focused on what she was doing. He noticed how she'd fiddle with her fingers whenever she appeared confused. Ichigo spun his seat around to avoid glaring at her any further and was surprised to find it was raining. A little thunder sounded within the distance as the gray clouds covered most of the area.

He raised a hand towards his cheek, remembering the manner in which she slapped him. A small chuckled escaped his lips, torturing her would be fun besides who knows? She might actually learn something.

Ichigo spun his seat around once more to find she was standing at his bookshelf, her fingers gently brushing over the covers as she searched. "You don't have any of your own books,"

"No, I wrote them, why would I need a copy?"

"That's stupid," she mumbled incoherently, brushing her fingers over the books.

"Don't you have a summary to do?"

She turned around towards Ichigo with a brief smirk, "It's on your table, and it's been there for a while,"

Ichigo looked down to find four pages, one page more than he had asked, with a disbelieving frown he lifted the pages and spun around in his seat, skimming through the work. He had to admit, she had some potential... some.

"Well you're pretty-" Ichigo's eyes widened when he caught sight of her reaching up for one of the books on the shelf, she balanced on her toes. Ichigo shook his head knowing what the outcome of this would be-

-and true to his word, he watched as several of the books on the shelf she was reaching for came crashing down. She landed on the ground, surrounded by a few of the books.

"I'll fix that!" she chimed nervously, quickly getting up to her feet and dusting herself.

"Yoruichi must've lost her mind..." Ichigo whispered with widened eyes as he watched her grab book after book to shove back into its respective shelf.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ichigo jogged down the empty road, his white shirt soaked with perspiration and feet burning with each step he took. He was glad the sun wasn't as harsh as it normally was during the day, he stopped a moment to take a sip from his water bottle. Gasping for breath he bent over, pressing his palms to his knees as he bought time to catch his breath.

"It is him-"

"I can't believe it!"

Ichigo furrowed his brows as the sound of excited, whispering voices reached his ears, he stood upright, taking in the form of two women staring directly at him then pausing to giggle excitedly with beet red faces. It took a while for both of them to gain courage but when they did, they walked over to him also dressed in gym clothing.

"Oh my, he looks so much better in person!" One clasped a hand to her mouth excitedly, "Mr Kurosaki, would you mind giving us an autograph?" both pleaded with grins on their faces.

"A-Alright," Ichigo conceded, internally groaning, it was barely seven in the morning and all he wanted was a peaceful jog. He returned their notebooks and before he could walk away, one placed a hand to his chest, a warm smile on her face.

"How about a picture too? Please! We're your biggest fans!"

"S-Sure," Ichigo agreed and before he knew it he was sandwiched between two women who seemed to enjoy intruding in his personal bubble. She held her camera out and took the picture, she quickly glanced over it then smiled.

"Thanks!"

Ichigo nodded and couldn't wait until he walked away to continue his jog, within the back he heard one of the women he had just taken a picture with mutter something along the lines of; "I can't believe we just met Kurosaki Ichigo!"

Ichigo smirked as once again his feet made friction with the surface beneath him; he had barely gotten any sleep the previous night. So he decided to stop by a cafe and order his regular coffee, it was his form of keeping his energy levels up.

"Hi, can I have a regular black coffee." Ichigo told the waitress who nodded quickly, apparently having lost use of her tongue at the sight of him. She had tried to offer him other items on the menu but Ichigo remained with his simple coffee and she departed to the kitchen. Within minutes she was back, bearing his 'breakfast', setting the cup gently before him. She bowed, and blushed madly when Ichigo bowed his head similarly in thanks.

He grabbed one of the sugar sachets and emptied it into his cup, stirring until it was dissolved. He brought the cup to his lips, taking a sip. Ichigo gulped down the contents unappreciatively, remembering why he chose to learn how to make his own coffee seeing as though no one could make it the way he liked it.

"You know, you really shouldn't always be drinking coffee," Ichigo heard a familiar voice call from behind him, he tilted his head backwards and found a smirk come to his face.

"Why is it that everywhere I go, someone is bound to recognise me?" His smirk grew wider, "Tatsuki..."

The karate champion smiled in his direction, walking to take a seat besides her old friend.

.

Rukia stood outside her boss's apartment, her bag clutched over her shoulder. She had quickly brushed her hair haphazardly this morning in fear of being late, she grabbed what was first in her cupboard which apparently was her jeans and black shirt. She glanced down at her watch then back at the elevator.

She groaned aloud, realising he was over an hour late yet he had told her to be here at 08:00 sharp.

"Hypocrite," she muttered to herself with a snort. A cold breeze filled her area, causing goose bumps to form over her flesh as she waited 'patiently'. The sky had begun to darken, showering light drizzle. "Where is this man?!" she questioned through gritted teeth as she shifted side to side in attempt to warm herself up.

Finally the sound of the elevator reaching its designated point reached her ears, and lo and behold, Ichigo Kurosaki stepped out. He glanced at Rukia for a brief moment before moving towards his door, he twisted the knob open and turned his head back in her direction.

"I-I-"

"Whatever you say," he stopped her and entered the house, she followed behind him.

"But it's not like I could just enter without your permission..." she mumbled aloud as she shut his door behind her. She moved to the couch and ripped out her notebook.

"Make yourself comfortable," Ichigo told her before tossing his jacket on the couch, missing her body by a centimetre. She glanced once at the sweaty clothing and cringed her face, picking the jacket with two fingers she moved to place it far away from her. She then heard the sound of a shower running.

"I might as well make some coffee while he's in," she whispered and lifted herself, walking towards the kitchen. She boiled water and set rummaging his cupboards, slamming one after the other open.

Ichigo lazily left one towel over his head and kept another wrapped around his waist as he entered his room, he heard the sound of his kettle boiling water. Wondering what she was doing but chose not to bother himself any further as he got dressed.

He walked back into study, ignoring her in the kitchen. "Oh Mr Kurosaki!" she called bringing him to a stop.

"Here," she smiled and reached a hand to give him the cup in her hands. Ichigo glanced down at it sceptically then took it into his hands. He raised the mug to his lips and drank a bit of the contents; he brought his eyes to look back down at her, a smile on his face...

...he spat the coffee back into the cup and his smile dropped.

"Are you trying to poison me?" He questioned, placing his mug onto a coffee table and walked towards his study. Rukia took a sip from her own cup and furrowed her brows.

"It's not that bad,"

Ichigo shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked over to his study, collapsing tiredly on his seat, he rested his head on his raised palm as he tapped on the laptop mouse, opening document after document.

He turned around with a frown on his face as he reached for another file at the end of the desk, paging through it hastily then moving back to his laptop and typing away. Rukia stood in place as she watched him work, combing a hand through his orange hair.

Ichigo massaged his temples, inhaling and exhaling deeply, he lifted his gaze to the woman that stood in her place. He met her violet eyes and noted how quickly she turned away.

"Don't you have something to do?" Ichigo questioned, leaning back into his seat.

Taking it as a rhetorical question, Rukia moved to her textbooks and turned to chapter two, beginning her summary. With a shake of his head, Ichigo continued his work from where he had left off. Rukia glanced at her coffee mug that stood on the coffee mug, a small distance away.

"Hey, pass me the file over there." Ichigo pointed, not bothering to look at her as he maintained focus of the screen in front of him, simply referring to the small shelf beneath the coffee table. Rukia quickly obliged and stood from her spot, grabbing her coffee mug and one of the files.

Rukia made her way to her boss, taking a sip from her now lukewarm coffee, unfortunately she didn't notice the cord STILL lying on the ground and as fate would have it, Rukia tripped over the wire. The file at hand hit Ichigo square in the face and the contents of her mug splatter onto the window as Ichigo tumbled backwards to the ground, chair and all.

"M-Mr K-Kurosaki..." Rukia lifted her head as she lifted herself from the wooden floor. "...Are you okay?"

"Blissful." Ichigo responded sarcastically, rubbing the back of his head as he lifted himself and his seat. He glanced at his coffee stained window, watching as the liquid ran down his screen with the rain that poured outside as well. "I will not get angry..." Ichigo whispered with shut eyes to himself.

"Mr K-Kurosaki?"

"What?" Ichigo questioned, turning around, he found himself growing highly uncomfortable with the guilty expression plastered on her face. He followed her eyes to the coffee smudged paperwork in front of him.

Once more Ichigo inhaled and exhaled deeply, "I will not get angry..."

"Mr K-Kurosaki?"

Ichigo lifted his auburn gaze to her as she held the handle of his once whole mug that was now broken into tiny pieces on the floor. Ichigo glanced up at her with widened eyes...

How is it humanly possible for one person-

"What are you?"

"I can fix it." Rukia quickly told him before running into the kitchen and fetching two clothes and a broom, she wiped the coffee from his window away as he pondered what type of assistant she was. Rukia ran up and down his apartment with shards of glass in her hands.

"What did Yoruichi sign me up for?" Ichigo questioned himself before tiredly collapsing into his seat, at this rate he'd never get his next book done. As Ichigo continued to comprehend the situation he was in, Rukia stood in front of the heater with some pages of his file. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Don't worry, I used to do this in school when my books would get wet, it works like a charm."

Knowing this girl, she'd probably burn all of them. Ichigo ran towards her, reaching out for the sheets.

"Hold on, they're almost done, just g-gimme a second!" Rukia enunciated, trying to push Ichigo away.

"They're fine, just hand them over!"

Rukia held them further forward towards the heater and in a flash, Ichigo's eyes widened.

Rukia felt her hand grow warmer and warmer... turning around to see the burning pages in her hands. Ichigo grabbed them from her and automatically ran to the kitchen with them, throwing them in the sink and running the water.

Soon after the tap stopped running, a loud moan sounded and then a bang and finally Ichigo peeked out of the kitchen, he gulped visibly, leaning his head against the doorway. He lifted a penetrating glare towards Rukia who suddenly found that the ceiling design grew more and more interesting with each passing second.

Ichigo gritted his teeth as he walked passed her, in his attempt to remain calm.

"Mr Kurosaki is there something I can help wi-" Rukia began as she tried to reach for Ichigo.

"No! I mean- no- you just-" He glanced around quickly jumping away with an outstretched hand to keep the distance between them. "-you just do your summaries. I'll be fine."

"Oh, alright." Rukia agreed before spotting the window, it sure was a little warm in the place. A cool breeze would be nice...

Making her way to the window, she pushed the latch open and a strong breeze rushed in, blowing her hair, cooling over her skin, relaxing her... and inadvertently blowing the unattached sheets Ichigo had on his study away.

Ichigo recalled his own words, choosing to ignore the emotions running through him. One human could turn his entire place upside down, what more could she do?

**Make yourself comfortable...**


	6. Chapter 6

Soft music played within the warmly light restaurant, elegantly designed and furnished. Each table held a beautiful centre piece, the entire place oozed intimacy. Ichigo glanced from left to right, feeling a little out of place, as everyone gathered in the room dressed in a more sophisticated manner. Considering it was evening and a reputable restaurant, not the type of place you'd assume to find someone dressed in baggy jeans, a white vest and black blazer.

Ichigo scouted the area only to find a waving hand, with a forced smile; Ichigo marched over to the woman seated at the table. Choosing to ignore the snobbish stares he received, he pulled out his seat and settled comfortably across the woman.

"Thanks for coming, it's been a while since-" the woman began.

"May I take your order ma'am? Sir?" A waiter questioned, Ichigo barely casted a gaze at the man beside him as he took in Orihime's form, her hair framed her perfectly. She appeared almost perfect, the clothes she wore flattered her figure and the mature look she had really worked well for her.

Noticing that he was staring too long, Ichigo casted a smile to the waiter, "Don't worry, we won't be long, whiskey-no ice, thanks."

Orihime turned her gaze towards Ichigo astonishedly, she shut the menu in front of her and smiled beautifully at the waiter. "A glass of your best red wine for me please."

"Of course," He replied, bowing lightly, he looked over Ichigo then at Orihime and shook his head.

What's that supposed to mean?

"So..." Ichigo began awkwardly, glancing around. Orihime watched this action and couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips, a small chuckle sounded and Ichigo cocked his head in her direction, wondering what the source for her amusement was.

"It's good to see you again... Ichigo..." Orihime softly told him, reaching to place her soft hand over his in a friendly gesture. Ichigo frowned slightly at the warmth of her hand as he glanced down at it for a while before slowly and gently drawing his hand away from beneath hers.

"I'm still undecided about that... I hadn't planned on coming but I figured 'what the hell, I'm bored anyway'." Ichigo raised his shoulders apathetically.

The waiter came back, bearing their drinks; he slowly placed them on the table and parted from them once again. Ichigo spun his glass slowly as Orihime took an elegant sip from her wine.

"Orihime..." Ichigo began quietly, it was no secret to the both of them that their relationship was a total and utter fail.

"**Ichigo, I want you to pick right now, either me or... this." Orihime questioned t****oss****ing one of the file****s**** on Ichigo's table aside. With not so much as a glance at her, Ichigo continued to type away, this was his second book and he was working really hard on it and thus he didn't have time for meaningless disturbances.**

"**Ichigo!"**

"**What?" He questioned with an annoyed tone, still typing away, maintaining all focus on the laptop in front of him.**

"**I think I've had enough, you push me away far too Ichigo and there's only so much I can take. I'm not doing this anymore."**

**Ichigo continued to type away, completely blocking her out, with her fists clenched around the table, Orihime gritted her teeth. Casting her eyes at her handbag and car keys.**

**BANG!**

**Ichigo's apartment door slammed shut as Orihime made her exit; Ichigo looked away from his laptop towards the door and with no more than a blink, turned back to his computer. Having made the decision not to go after her, he allowed himself get consumed by the silence.**

Out of politeness, Ichigo aided Orihime from her seat having paid the bill since their night of awkward, friendly conversation was over. He walked Orihime out and waited as a valet brought her car around.

"See ya..." Ichigo smiled at her, kneading the back of his neck, Orihime bit down on her lip as though she were debating with herself.

"Ichigo?"

"Yea- oof!" he paused when she grabbed onto him, drawing him into an embrace. Her arms embraced him welcomingly as she rested her head close to his heart, the smile he once had on his face disappeared.

"Bye Ichigo..."

He stood watching as Orihime drove off, a deep sigh escaped his lips as he shoved his hands further into his pockets and hunched his back in attempt to warm up. Step after step, Ichigo paced his way back to his apartment. He had considered driving but the restaurant was barely a few streets away therefore rendering driving all the way there pointless. The streetlights provided the only source of lighting on the roads as the cars drove passed.

Ichigo crashed onto his bed with a loud groan, facing the ceiling; he traced the designs with his eyes repeatedly. It took a long while before he tossed himself onto his side, allowing the silence of the room to engulf him and sooner than later he was drawn into sleep...

.

**Knock.**

**Knock.**

Ichigo turned over, mumbling angrily in his sleep, bringing his pillow over his head.

**Knock.**

**Knock.**

"Go-away..." he slurred, turning once more. Unfortunately he rolled off the bed and collapsed onto the floor, with a loud thud.

**Knock.**

**Kno-**

"What?!" Ichigo whipped his door open.

"Mr- K-Kurosaki..." Rukia held her fist in the air where she had tapped the door, her eyes were wide in fright as she gazed at her boss... who was apparently still dressed in the previous days clothing.

"I should've known..." Ichigo muttered to himself, gently bashing his head against the door.

"Can I come in?" she questioned with a confused expression plastered on her face. Ichigo lifted his head to her and narrowed his eyes.

"No."

"What?"

"No... I'm giving you the day off. Take it." Ichigo briefly told her before slamming the door.

"But Mr. Kurosaki-" she began but stopped when she received no reply, a loud sigh escaped her lips as she pouted. "Least he could've done was tell me in advance..."

She marched up to the elevator and pressed the button, she rocked back and forth on her heels as she waited. Her hands fiddled with the strap of her bag continuously until the elevator 'ding' pulled her from her trance; she quickly stepped aside for the person that came out.

"Thank you." The woman smiled as she passed Rukia.

"Pleasure." She responded and got in, Rukia quickly pressed the button to the first floor of the building, she furrowed her brows as she watched the woman walk towards- towards-

-Mr. Kurosaki's place!

Just before Rukia was to speak, the elevator doors shut on her. A loud sigh escaped her lips as she leaned against the side of the elevator... "Who would've thought..." She ran a hand through her hair, "...Any woman could deal with a man like that?"


	7. Chapter 7

Ichigo shut his apartment door, and with a sigh, walked towards the lift. He pressed the button to the first floor and waited for the doors to shut. Once again, it was raining and the sky was dull, people were scarce.

Ichigo greeted those that greeted him as he got downstairs, bowing his head and politely smiling at them in response. Ichigo pulled the transparent door open and moved out, taking a step outside the vicinity.

"Mr Kurosaki!" He heard that familiar, annoying, **destructive** voice and knew full well who it belonged to.

"Rukia..." he whispered depressively, tilting his head in her direction, she wiped off the bit of rain that dripped down her forehead with the back of her sleeve. She panted heavily, clear indication that she ran all the way here. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? I'm your assistant and-"

"Assistant?" Ichigo furrowed his brows with a sarcastic laugh, erupting from his lips, "You barely assist with anything, everything you do goes wrong... you're an amateur and that's all you'll ever be."

Ichigo was shocked at how blunt he sounded, he held no intention of being so hard, yet maintained a passive expression on his face so as to not give off any illusion that he actually felt sympathy.

Rukia opened her mouth to speak but quietened, hanging her head down.

Ichigo sighed and called on a cab, he opened the door, looking back at the defeated girl. With a sigh, Ichigo climbed into the car and shut the door.

Rukia watched the cab through the corner of her eyes, getting watered down by the rain.

"**... You're an amateur and that's all you'll ever be." **

The car veered onto the road as her boss journeyed away; she clenched her fists tightly at her sides.

"Mr Kurosaki!" she ran into the rain, chasing the cab. Her hair dampened, she stood right in front of the car as it made a skidding sound due to the sudden halt. The driver held a confused look on his face, seeing this random woman stop straight in front of his car.

She ran over to the side window, knocking on it to gain Ichigo's attention. Most of her clothing was wet, including the bag that hung over her shoulder. With a deep sigh, Ichigo winded the window down.

"What?"

"Mr Kurosaki, please, just give me a chance." She clasped her hands in a prayer like motion, "Sure I may screw up from time to time but who doesn't? Right?"

"You're right; people do screw up from time to time." Ichigo smiled at her, "but I don't plan on having you as my assistant any further." His smile dropped as he winded the window up, Rukia pressed her hand on the window.

"Mr Kurosaki!"

"What now?!" he winded the window down.

"I may be an amateur for now but- but-!" She shouted, water splashed on Ichigo's face as more rain poured over her face, "-but- I'm telling you now that I'm the best assistant you will ever have! And you'd be an idiot not to rehire me!"

Ichigo stared at the woman, hiding his eyes behind his bangs. "An idiot?"

Rukia gulped, drawing her hands away from the glass window. "Y-Yes."

A broad smirk grazed Ichigo's face; he turned away from her, winding up the window. She saw his lips move and just as soon, the car drove off.

"M-Mr Kurosaki-!" She shouted, still standing on the empty road, watching the car go off, "-Does that mean I can come back?" More rain poured over her already deeply dampened hair, Rukia wiped the water from her brow with her wet sleeve. A depressive sigh escaped her lips and she hung her head.

.

"Come on, cheer up a little!" Rukia's close friend Renji, collapsed onto his couch, kicking his feet up on the table in front of him. "How about you make yourself useful and toss me a beer back there!"

"You have hands and feet- use 'em." Rukia retorted from behind the counter. Renji tossed his head back with a smirk; Rukia sighed and reached into his fridge. She threw the can in his direction and sighed once more, gently banging her head on the counter.

"I know I can be a little ditzy-"

"-Disastrously clumsy." Renji gulped down, still staring at the television in front of him.

"-But in a space of four days! I mean that's not humanly possible-!"

"-Not until today." Renji replied lazily, Rukia furrowed her brows at the back of his head. She reached for a pan that hung on the wall, vigorously fighting the temptation to knock him out.

Ring!

Rukia snapped to the phone that rung, Renji looked at the caller ID and quickly leapt off his seat, throwing the cushions off and sliding to pick it up.

"Hello?"

Rukia pouted her lips, "So he'll bolt for someone else who calls him yet it takes forever for him to answer when I call..."

"I'll be a little busy tomorrow so-" Renji stopped and met Rukia's gaze; he smirked evilly and turned his back on her. "-So I'll be sure to make a plan."

He turned over his shoulder, glancing at the woman behind him. She smirked coyly, "Hey Renji, who're you speaking to?" She purred loudly... deliberately.

Renji placed a finger to his lip, gesturing her to be quiet but her smirk only grew wider. "Oh, come on Renji!..." She drew herself closer and closer, playing with his shirt buttons.

'I will kill you' Renji mouthed, staring down at the woman. She only stared up at him, ready to say more.

"So Renji-" Quickly he clasped a hand over her lips, hugging her tightly to his chest.

"Something wrong? No, nothing's **wrong** here." Renji spoke into the device at his ear, as he tried to hold the fighting Rukia tighter towards his chest.

"Mmmh mh!" She fought, trying to punch him.

"-Sure thing, I'll see you then. Bye." Renji smiled and hung up, "What were you saying?"

Finally getting a breath of air, she hit Renji on the stomach, "I said, 'I can't breathe'."

Renji smirked, walking right passed her, and he slid onto his couch with a yawn. Absentmindedly flipping from channel to channel. "Hey, could you pass me the pizza in the fridge?"

"Get it yourself!" Rukia grabbed her bag and a cushion, hitting Renji with the item and walking towards the door. "See ya."

With a bang, she sighed, walking up the flight of stairs to her room. She ran a hand through her hair, fighting back the tears that threatened to develop in her eyes.

She reached into her bag for her keys, and watched as her sight blurred due to the tears that now covered her vision. She raised her head with a forced smile to bite back the tears as she unlocked the door.

Tiredly, she walked to her balcony. Staring at the bright moon, she ran a hand through her hair repeatedly, "What am I going to do?"

.

Ichigo stared out of his window, still seated at his study; once again he had managed a total of nothing done today. His thoughts ran all over the place and never settled.

"**I may be an amateur for now but- but-!" Water splashed on Rukia's face as more rain poured, her violet eyes held pure determination within them as Ichigo watched her fists clench around the glass window, "-but- I'm telling you now that I'm the best assistant you will ever have! And you'd be an idiot not to rehire me!"**

Ichigo released a deep breath whilst a small laugh escaped his lips, "I guess, she's not that weak willed after all..."


End file.
